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Hawks' Deon Butler: Speed with skills kills
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Went over the Seahawks rookie mini-camp on assignment for AP Saturday. My purpose was to do a story on rookie wide receiver Deon Butler. The focus was how his speed can change the Hawks' passing attack this season. It's been a while since the team has had a deep threat like Butler.
He's runs the 40 in 4.28, which is quite fast. But he's just a little guy at 5-foot-10, 182 pounds. He'll need that speed and more. But he looked real sharp in the limited time he was on the field. He showed good hands, sharp cuts and an effortless stride. If he makes the team, he will make a difference.
Here's the raw version of my story. No doubt it will be edited down for most publications:
RENTON (AP) – It's not that Deon Butler hopes people don't recognize his gift of speed, he just wants to make sure they understand he's not all that.
The fleet wide receiver, the Seattle Seahawks' third-round draft choice out of Penn State, comes to the Hawks' rookie mini-camp with a reputation for sheer speed. His time at the NFL Combine was 4.28 in the 40. That's separation speed, what every team searches for in a wide receiver.
Butler realizes his legs are his ticket into the NFL but if that's all he brings, his exit will be even faster.
“They're not really labeling me here,'' said Butler during an afternoon break between practices. “They're labeling me just as a wide receiver, not as a speed guy. I just have to continue to learn to run routes better and continue to learn. They're not really throwing me into one category, like you can only do this, let's throw him deep here. I'm expected to learn the whole playbook and all the routes.''
Seattle, like most teams, have been seduced by speed in the past. They've taken chances on burners over the years and have gotten burned. While speed is a much desired asset, that alone is not deadly. But speed with skills kills.
“They drafted me here because they knew I run good routes,'' he said. “They'd say not only was I fast but I run controlled routes. A lot of guys have great football speed and that's what counts. I never really relied on my speed in college. I've always felt good about my route running skills, how fast you get in and out of your cuts.''
In his first two days of NFL exposure, Butler is learning how his greatest asset has been diluted. He ran an deep pattern in the morning practice against cornerback Josh Wilson. Back at Penn State he might have been alone with the ball but up here he had company.
“He was right there with me, nudging me,'' he said. “Maybe in college I pulled away. Guys get faster (in the pros).''
At 5-foot-10, 182 pounds, Butler also doesn't have the physical ability to overpower a defender. But he has learned the art of hand combat off the line to deflect the defender.
“I'm getting better at that (using his hands),'' he said. “As we get further along, guys are going to try to press me more. I have to continually get better at find different ways, different moves.
“It's something I've seen over the past couple years, bigger defenders getting in my face. It's something I continue to work on, getting off the jam. Then once I'm into my route that's where I can use my speed and my quickness to create separation. It's kind of advantage having a guy that close (at the line).''
Seahawks veteran safety Deon Grant likes what he has seen from Butler thus far.
“That's going to be important (using hands), because guys are going to be licking their chops when they see him, with his frame and all that,'' Grant said. “So it's going to be important to use his hands and use his feet to really get off the line and away from the defensive backs.
“You have to be quick, too. If he's just a fast release off the line, that'll play into the cornerback hands. You have to quick off the line. And he runs good routes, too. I think he's a great addition.''
Initially, Butler will back up Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. If he makes the team, there's a good chance he'll have an impact on the passing game, if only as a deep threat. Seattle ranked 30th in the NFL for passes 20-yards or more last season so teams pack it in more.
“He makes you play honest. You can't do a lot of cheating,'' Grant said. “If you know a team doesn't have a deep threat, you can bring a person up because you know they'll be throwing something short.
“A fast deep threat opens it up for the running game, opens things up for the tight end to get him with the linebacker because you can't do a lot of double-teaming now. It keeps a lot of guys in the box, so it gives that tight end a lot of room in the middle.''
John Carlson, who led the team with 55 receptions as a rookie tight end last season, said, “it's important to have that deep threat because that means you can score on any play. It keeps the defense honest and give us the opportunity to score a touchdown anytime.
“I think height can be beneficial at times but it's a game of speed, if you know what you are doing. If you can separate. It doesn't matter whether you're 5-8 or 6-4. The little I've seen, it looks like he's a very talented player.''
It'll months before any determination can be made as to Butler's impact. The rookies work out Sunday then leave. There'll be one more mini-camp in June before the July 31 training camp begins.
Butler plans to be fully prepared. His playbook now is his best friend.
“One of my strengths is thinking up the game so when I get back to the room I want to study and soak up all the knowledge,'' he added. “We're not getting a lot of plays but mental reps we're getting every single play. You have to be focused enough and disciplined enough to learn every play.''
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